A Truly Beautiful Day

How many beautiful sights can you take in on any given day?

Lots.

I learned that today, as Will and I enjoyed the gorgeous California Coast from Pacific Grove to Santa Barbara.

We spent the day driving along the coast, stopping along the way to take pictures, picnicking at Pebble Beach, and heading home on Highway 1. The day couldn't have been more beautiful, with clear, bright skies framing the deep blues and greens of the Pacific. The beaches along the 17-mile drive were incredible -- some were rocky and adorned with craggy boulders and smooth gray pebbles, and others were sandy white. We walked along all of them. Winston ran.

We drove over -- then under -- a famous Highway 1 bridge, venturing down to an area by the water's edge that I'd never visited before. The ocean waves beat against the rocky coastline, and there was a small rushing river there which seemed to connect freshwater with the ocean. Naturally, I climbed right in the middle of that river, using the exposed, dry rocks jutting out of that little river as stepping stones. It was fun -- and a good test of my foot dexterity and adventurous spirit.

As we drove further along down Highway 1, a road that seems like it was created solely to pay homage to the majesty of the Pacific Ocean coastline, we noticed the setting sun and pulled off the side of the road just in time to watch it turn the sky orange and pink.

It's hard to describe all the beauty that I witnessed today. Frankly, it was almost a little exhausting. But I took it all in, appreciated it, loved it, and stored it in my mind's eye for those days where my hospital room will be my only view. Well, it would've been my only view, but it won't be now. I'm bringing the Pacific Ocean with me.